Old Bay Potatoes

February 10, 2017

How I LOVE potatoes! They are just my favorite food (and of course a carb downfall), but you only live once and everything is good in moderation. I am always working on new potato recipes and of course anything with potatoes, cheese, bacon and butter is going to be a winner, including this spicy potato casserole that’s perfect for an afternoon of football. It’s an ideal year-round side for pulled pork, brisket, ribs and burgers on the grill.

Old Bay Potatoes

Author: Kate Wagner

Serves: 10-12

Just like a mashed potato casserole with some kick to it! There is a good bit of butter here, but consider this a special treat…definitely not an everyday dish! Happy cooking!

Ingredients

1 package Crab boil mix (I like Old Bay or Zatarain)

3 lbs Red skin potatoes, skin on, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 (16 oz) Bacon, thick sliced

1 Red onion, medium, diced

2 Tbsp Minced garlic

1 stick Butter, unsalted, room temperature

12 oz Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 cup Sour cream

2 Scallions, minced green parts only (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fill a 5-6 quart pot about 2/3 full of water. Add boil seasoning mix and stir to combine. Add potato slices and bring water to a boil. Cook the potatoes until fork tender, 20 – 25 minutes.

In the meantime, place bacon in a large skillet and cook until crispy, 10 – 15 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain, leave bacon grease in the skillet. Once bacon is cooled, crumble into small bits.

Add red onions to the skillet and cook until almost caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes longer.

Drain potatoes in a large colander and set aside. Do not rinse!

In a large bowl place the butter, red onions and garlic, 1/2 of the crumbled bacon, 2/3 of the cheddar cheese, the Kosher salt and the sour cream. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Carefully fold in the potatoes and gently stir to combine.

Place potato mixture in a oven-safe casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese and bacon. Add scallions if using.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Notes

I always like to have do-ahead dishes for entertaining, but because of the sour cream in the dish, you can’t really re-warm in the oven. However, there are several make-ahead components.[br]The potatoes and crab boil mix can be prepared, drained and placed in Ziplock or Tupperware overnight in the fridge. The same goes for the bacon and the red onion / garlic mixture.[br]Before assembling the dish, warm both the potatoes and red onion / garlic mixture in the microwave.